D&D 5E 5th edition Ranger: Why does every class have to have it's own schtick?

[Shades of Eternity]

also would be good for group bonuses for perception and the like when in the wilderness and/or bonus save against woodland traps.

come to think of it, rangers should be masters of trapping in the wildernes.

attacking a resting party that has a ranger in it should be a lot like this.

[video=youtube;Ro_lZsbLpjM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro_lZsbLpjM[/video]

deadfalls, net traps, ziplines and anything else that can be made with tools at hand.

If your gm cries that the random night encounter got trapped before anybody had to do anything, make fun of him/her. .

 

[Dersu]

I think the one thing the ranger has always had is a sense that they were at home in the wilds. They had a real connection with nature, but less of a "the plants should inherit the earth" druidy kind of way and more of a "people and nature need to understand each other or get out of each other's way" kind of way.

The favored enemy has been their shtick for a long time as well. Which makes itself present in 5e. But the ranger's connection to the land is less obvious. I think each ranger should pick their home terrain type, much like a druid of the land, that they developed their natural instincts in. Each of these terrains would then confer a unqiue bonus to the ranger that fit with that theme. Maybe it's a once a day spell, maybe it's a unique ability or a special bonus to a combat type. And maybe there could be a bonus if the ranger used an animal companion that was native to their home terrain.

On a side note, I think druids of the land should get the beast spells bonus much sooner than level 18, like level 10, but only if they chose a wild shape that is native to the land they chose.